May/June 2022 - 77

A regular column showcasing successful
best practices for sustainable foundations
FOUNDATIONS FOR A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE
Carbon Footprint Reduction for River Wall Renovation
The Solution
Van Halteren Infra (part of Van 't Hek
Group) was awarded the contract for a
river wall replacement in the Dutch
historical town of Schipluiden. The bid
selection criteria included, best value
for money, lowest life cycle cost and
best price. The contractor's plan to
reuse steel sheet piles to provide a
massive carbon footprint reduction
made the bid successful.
The Challenges
An important step in carbon footprint
reduction for steel foundation elements
is the recycling of scrap steel as main
raw material for hot-rolled steel sheet
piles. However, the contractor went one
step further and used previously used
steel sheet piles as permanent elements
in the new river wall, resulting in a
carbon reduction of approximately
900 t CO e. 2
Because the project was in a
historical town, the sheet piles had to
be installed without any vibration and
with the least nuisance possible.
Installing steel sheet piles with a sheet
pile press sets the requirements for
quality and tolerance for the steel sheet
piles even higher.
AUTHORS Patrick IJnsen, Van 't Hek Group
DEEP FOUNDATIONS * MAY/JUNE 2022 * 77
Although a procedure for implementation
of reused steel elements is not yet
covered in European Standards
(Eurocode) or in Dutch Standards (NEN),
Dutch National Guidelines on sheet pile
design suggest a higher safety factor. But
since the original material certificates
were available, the pile shapes were still
within the original tolerances and no
damage was observed during a careful
visual inspection, these elements were
accepted and the higher safety factor
was waived.
t CO e2
).
fueled power generators (6.2 t CO e2 ) and
the use of concrete with recycle
aggregate and partial cement recycling
(1.5
The carbon emissions that were
saved on this project are equivalent to
the energy needed to drive an average
car for 2,052,000 miles.
Use the EFFC-DFI Carbon Calculator
and the EPA's carbon equivalency tool
(https://www.epa.gov/energy/green
house-gas-equivalencies-calculator)
to figure out the impact of your carbonreducing
efforts on your next project!
Total carbon emissions in terms of greenhouse gas
CO equivalents for the reused sheet pile solution
was 900 t CO e.2
2
The Results
By accepting the contractor's proposal
to reuse sheet piles, the municipality
not only saved money, but also reduced
the carbon footprint of the project by
43%. In addition, the new river wall was
constructed in a historical center
without any damage and meeting all
flood safety requirements.
Total carbon emissions in terms of
greenhouse gas (GHG)
for the reused sheet pile solution was
900
t CO e2
. Other carbon footprint
reduction measures used on the project
include the use of hydrated vegetable oil
(HVO) 100 diesel for construction
(110
t CO e2 ), use of green energy for all
electric grid connect ion on the
construction site instead of diesel
Global Warming Potential (Kg CO2e)
43%!!
C equivalentsO2
1.075.635 kg CO2e
1.893.712 kg CO2e
https://www.epa.gov/energy/greenhouse-gas-equivalencies-calculator https://www.epa.gov/energy/greenhouse-gas-equivalencies-calculator
May/June 2022

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